Uncoupling mechanism



Aug. 22, 1944. w. J. METZGER UNCOUPLING MECHANISM Filed Feb. 25, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR William J. Net: er 61AM Q9. 536i ATTORNEY g- 1944- w. J. METZGER UNCOUPLING MECHANISM Filed Feb. 25, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 l iam etzger mafia! ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 22, 1944 UNCOUPL'ING MECHANISM wunm J. mum, Cleveland, Ohio, assignor to 'National Malleable and Steel Castings Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application February 25, 1942, Serial No. 432,197

12 Claims.

This invention relates to uncoupling mechanism for railway car couplers.

An object of my invention is to provide a simple and efllcient mechanism for operating the coupler from either side of the car.

Another object is to provide an uncoupling mechanism which, in addition to affording a high degree of flexibility to allow for the various movements of the coupler in service, is adapted to be locked when in unoperated position to preclude any accidental upward swinging of its parts as would result in unlocking of the coupler.

A-further object is to provide an uncoupling arrangement providing for operation of the coupler from either side of the car, the mechanism on either side bing operable to effect uncoupling while the mechanism on the other side remains locked.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will appear from the following description taken in conjunction with the drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of the uncoupling mechanism applied to a car coupler.

Figure 2 is a front elevational view of the mechanism shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an enlarged side elevational view showing the connection of the mechanism to the coupler.

Figure 4 is a rear elevational view of the parts shown in Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 3 showing the relation of the parts in unlocked position.

Figure 6 is a bottom plan view of the coupler, the parts being shown in the same position as in' Figure 5.

Figure 7 is an enlarged detail view taken along line 1-1 of Figure 2'.

Figure 8 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line 8'-8 of Figure 2.

Figure 9 is a sectional view of the connector member taken along the line 9-8 of Figure 8.

Figure 10 is a sectional view taken along line Ill-40 of Figure 8.

Figure 11 is a view showing a modified form of the invention; and

Figure 12 is a view taken along line |2-l2 of Figure 11.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown a coupler Ill and car body ll. Pivotally attached to the car body by means of brackets l2 and I3 is the mechanism is in reposed position, key I! extends into slot 19, locking shaft l5 against accidental rotation. Movement of pivotal member I! laterally of the car is limited by portions and 2| of the member located adjacent the brackets.

Bearing portion 22 of bracket I2 has a kidneyshaped opening 23 receiving shaft l5. This opening is so positioned that when the shaft is in the bottom part thereof, key I! projects into slot l9. To rotate shaft l5, as during uncoupling, the outer end of the shaft is first raised by means of handle i 6 to the upper portion of opening 23 so as to withdraw key H from slot l9, after which the shaft is free to be pivoted. Projection 24 in opening 23 serves to oppose any accidental upward movement of the shaft and in no way interferes with manual raising of the shaft to the upper end of the opening.

Adjacent slot l9 bracket I2 is formed with an upwardly and outwardly extending surface 25 which facilitates returning of key I! from its raised position during uncoupling to locked position within slot I! when han'dle I6 is released. The raised positions of the shaft and handle are shown in dot-dash in Figure '7. Upon release of the handle, key ll engages surface 25 and slides downwardly into slot l9 as the handle swings to its lowered position, thereby locking the mechanism.

Transmission of the rotative force from shaft l5 to the coupler lock mechanism is accomplished by means of connector member 30 slidabiy mounted on the shaft and uncoupling rod 3| which is rigidly secured to the connector member. It will be clear that they key-hole opening 32 in the connector member permits movement of the member longitudinally of shaft l6 and also provides for rotation thereof with the shaft in whatever position it occupies thereon laterally of the car. Since rod 3| is thus keyed to shaft IE it cannot be swung upwardly to effect unlocking of the coupler without also causing member it to rotate therewith, and therefore, when member i4 is in locked position, rod 3! is precluded from being accidentally pivoted by flying objects or otherwise.

In order to allow for longitudinal and vertical movement of the coupler in service, wall 33 of the shaft receiving .portion of opening 32 and side and bottom walls 34 and 35 of the key receiving por-- tion of said opening are all convexly curved. It is therefore apparent that the connector member in addition to being slidably keyed to shaft I 5 may angle in both vertical and horizontal planes relative thereto. This plurality of movements of the connector member provides the degree of flexibility necessary between rod 3| and shaft L5 to allow for the displacement of the coupler which occurs in service. This flexibility is useful particularly a,sse,sae

Rod 5| is welded or otherwise made integral L with connector 55 and is of such length that when the coupler is in central position, the connector is located on the central portion of shaft i5, thereby enabling the rod to follow the coupler an equal amount in either direction transversely of the car. Furthermore, the length of shaft l5 may be increased or decreased, depending upon the amount of horizontal angling of the coupler. Also, rod 5| is formed with an offset fortion 55 which tends to maintain the rod in its reposed position. Although connector 55 and rod 3| are shown as initially separate parts, it is to be understood that a single member embodying the various features of the connector and rod as shown may be used without departing from the spirit of the invention. This single member may be produced by forming rod 5| with an arm thereon corresponding to connector 50 and similar to arm 55 on rod 55 of the modification later to be described.

The rotative force is transmitted from rod 3| to rotor lever 45 by means of hook portion 51. Lever 40 is formed with hook portions 4| by means of which the lever is pivotally connected to the laterally extending trunnions 42 on the coupler. The lever is operatively connected to lock member 43 by a link 44. Upon rotation of lever 40 the lock is raised and uncoupling is effected. Hook 5! on rod 5| is received by eye portion 45 on the lever and rotation of the latter is accomplished by the engagement of the hook with dependinglug 45 when handle I5 is swung upwardly.

It will be apparent that the uncoupling mechanism may be applied to either side of the car. In order to permit application of the device to both sides of the car and allow operation of the mechanism from either side independently of the other, rotor lever 40 is provided with eye portions 45 on each side thereof of a construction that will allow the aforesaid independent movement of the uncoupling rods. Extending laterally from each hook portion 4| of the rotor lever are the spaced arms 48 and 45 of eye 45. Joined to the outer ends of these arms is the U-shaped portion 50 which is positioned in a vertical plane with its open end extending upwards and forming a continuation of said arms, thereby providing an opening 5| which permits connecting I of hook 31 of the uncoupling rod to the eye.

Surface 52 on which the uncoupling rod rests is flared outwardly as at 55 and 54 to provide clearance for the rod during horizontal angling of the coupler and prevent binding between the rod and the eye.

It will be observed from Figure 5 that upon rotation of lever 40 to unlocked position of the coupler by means of an uncoupling rod on one side of the car the other rod is not disturbed. In Figure 5 the lever has been moved by rod 55 (similar to rod 5|) through an are greater than 90, and during this period rod 5| has remained locked in its normal position as the associated eye 45 is rotated with respect thereto. Supporting surface 52 is preferably made slightly eccentric with respect to the axis of trunnions 4| so that upon rotation of the lever to unlocked position the hook ends of both rods will be raised a small amount and will therefore tend to assist the return of the lever to its reposed position upon release of the operated rod and closing of the knuckle. It will be observed armisioinedtohook4|atapointwelle thehook portion oftheuncouplingrodsnd recesseda'sat55sotha'tsaidarmwillnot gage theihook of the non-operated rod portion 55.

While in the aforedescribed embodiment pivotal member |4 comprises a shaft portion II with a key |'l secured thereto, it will be apparent that the pivotal member may be of any suitable section other than circular so that uncoupling rod 5| which is slidably connected thereto will rotate therewith. In Figures 11 and i2 is shown a modified form of my invention in which the pivotal member 55 comprises a laterally extending supporting portion 5| rectangular in cross-section. The member is provided with trunnions 52 and 53 for pivotal mounting thereof. Trunnion 52 terminates in a handle 54 for operation of the member. Slidably and non-rotatably connected to member 55 is the uncoupling rod 55 which corresponds to rod 5| of the previous embodiment. Rod 55 is formed with an arm 55 which is shaped so as to have a rectangular opening 5'! for receiving portion 5| of member 55. The operation of this form of the invention is identical with that of the previous embodiment.

The terms and expressions which I have employed are used as terms of description and not of limitation, and I have no intention, in the use of such terms and expressions, of excluding any equivalents of the features shown and described or portions thereof, but recognize that various modifications are possible within the scope of the invention claimed.

What I claim is:

1. In an uncoupling mechanism for a car coupler a rotatable member, a pair of spaced fixed brackets on the car for supporting said member, said member having a supporting portion noncircular in cross-section extending between said brackets, and an uncoupling rod for transmitting rotative movement from said member to the lock operating mechanism of the coupler, said rod comprising an arm rigidly Joined thereto having an opening for receiving said portion to enable sliding of said rod along said portion and to enable rotation of said rod with said portion;

2. In an uncoupling mechanism for a car coupler a rotatable member connected to the car body, said member comprising a laterally extending shaft portion mounted at each end in fixed brackets, and an uncoupling rod extending from said shaft portion to the operating mechanism of the coupler for transmitting rotative force from said shaft to the coupler, said rod being slidably keyed to said shaft for rotation therewith to enable longitudinal movement of said rod relative to said shaft laterally of the car.

3. In an uncoupling mechanism for a car coupler a rotatable member, a pair of spaced brackets for supporting said member, said member comprising a shaft portion of non-circular crosssection extending between said brackets, and an uncoupling rod operatively connected at one end to the coupler lock operating mechanism, the other end of said rod having an integral portion slidably keyed to the portion of said shaft between said brackets to enable rotative movement of said rod with said shaft and to enable movement of said rod lengthwise of said shaft.

4. In an uncoupling mechanism for a car coupler a rotatable member having a shaft portion supported on fixed spaced brackets, a key on one side of said shaft between said brackets, an uncoupling rod forming a longitudinal extension of said shaft for transmitting rotative force from said shaft to the coupler, and means on said rod having an opening therein for receiving said shaft and key to enable rotation of said rod with said shaft and to enable movement of said rod longitudinally of said shaft.

5. In an uncoupling mechanism for a car coupler a pair of spaced brackets fixedly mounted on the car, a rotatable member mounted at the ends thereof in said brackets, said member having a shaft portion extending between said brackets, a rod forming a longitudinal extension of said shaft adapted to transmit rotary movement from said member to the coupler, and means connecting said rod to said shaft, said means comprising a member rigidly secured to said rod and slidably mounted on said shaft for longitudinal movement with respect thereto and also keyed to said shaft for rotation therewith.

6. In an uncoupling mechanism for a car coupler a rotatable member for actuating said mechanism, said member comprising a shaft mounted on spaced fixed brackets and having an integral key extending along the under side there-.

of, a rod for transmitting rotational movement from said shaft to the coupler, and a rigid arm extending from said rod for connecting the same to said shaft, said arm having a key-hole opening for receiving said shaft and key to enable movement of said rod lengthwise of said shaft, the walls of said opening being convexly curved to enable angling of said rod with respect to said shaft.

7. In an uncoupling mechanism for a car coupler a rotatable member for actuating said mechanism, a pair of brackets fixed to the car for mounting said member, said member having a shaft portion extending between said brackets, an integral key extending along one-side of said shaft, a member mounted on said shaft adapted to rotate therewith and to slide lengthwise thereof, said member having a key-hole opening receiving said shaft and key, and a rod rigidly fixed to and extending from said member adapted to transmit rotational movement from said shaft to the coupler.

8. Inan uncoupling mechanism for a car coupler a rotatable member for actuating said mechanism having a shaft portion, brackets fixed to the car for supporting the ends of said shaft, an integral key on the under side of said shaft extending lengthwise thereof, a rod for transmitting rotational movement from said shaft to the coupler, a rigid arm extending from said rod having a key-hole opening adapted to receive said shaft and key to enable rotation of said rod with said shaft and to enable movement of said rod lengthwise of said shaft, and means on one of said brackets adapted to cooperate with said key to preclude accidental rotation of said shaft when said mechanism is in unoperated position.

on said trunnions, and operating rods on opposite sides of said lever for actuating the same from either side of the coupler, each of said rods terminating in a hook portion for connection to said lever, said lever comprising hook portions for mounting said lever on said trunnions, a pair of spaced armsextending laterally from said hook portions on opposite sides ofsaid lever, a U- shaped portion for supporting said rods joined to the ends of each pair of said arms, said last named portion being positioned in a vertical plane and having its open end extending upwards and forming a continuation of said arms to enable connection of said hook portions on said rods to said U-shaped portions, and means depending fromeach of said U-shaped portions adapted upon the actuation of one of said rods to engage said hook portion thereof to effect rotation of said lever.

10. In an uncoupling mechanism for a car coupler a rotatable member "having a supporting portion rectangular in section, spaced brackets fixed to the car, trunnions at the ends of said portion for pivotally mounting said member in said brackets, an uncoupling rod for'transmitting rotational movement from said member to the coupler lock operating mechanism, and a rigid arm on said rod having a rectangular opening for slidably receiving said portion providing for relative longitudinal movement between said member and rod.

11. In an uncoupling mechanism for a car coupler a rotatable member for actuating said mechanism having a shaft portion, brackets fixed to the car for supporting the ends of said shaft, an integral key on the under side of said shaft extending lengthwise thereof, a rod for transmiting rotational movement from said shaft to the coupler, a rigid arm extending from said rod having a key-hole opening adapted to receive said shaft and key to enable rotation of said rod with said shaft and to enable movement of said rod lengthwise of said shaft, means on one of said brackets adapted to cooperate with said key to preclude accidental rotation of said shaft when said mechanism is in unoperated position, and a projection on said last named bracket overlying said shaft to arrest undesired upward movement of said shaft but permitting said shaft to be raised to effect rotation thereof.

12. In an uncoupling mechanism a coupler having laterally extending trunnions on'the under side thereof, a rotor lever for actuating the locking mechanism of the coupler pivotally mounted on said trunnions, and operating rods on opposite sides of said lever for actuating the same from either side of the coupler, each of said rods terminating in a hook portion for connection to said lever, said lever comprising hook portions for mounting said lever on said trunnions. an eye portion on each side of said lever receiving the hook portion of the corresponding one of said rods, and means depending from said lever forwardly of each eye portion adapted to v be engaged by the corresponding one of said rods for rotating said lever to operate said coupler,

position.

WILLIAM J. mom. 

